When Britain leaves the European Union (EU), it will affect a huge number of industries, including chemical manufacturing and its toll processing services.
That is why a coalition of British and European chemical NGOs wants the UK to still abide by legislation after Brexit.
They wrote an open letter – which was published in the Financial Times – to European leaders asking for Britain to be bound by the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals legislation (REACH). If they are not, this could result in a less-competitive market for the chemicals industry and it could also have an environmental impact if EU laws are not adhered to.
The letter, which was signed by the UK’s Chemical Industry Association (CIA) and CEFIC leaders, said: “Remaining within REACH will help to maintain high standards of the protection of citizens and their environment, and ensure continuity and consistency for companies.”
It also sated that if Britain had to create its own chemical database, this could “weaken the international competitiveness of both EU- and UK-based chemicals companies”.
In addition to this, health, safety and environmental protection could decline as a result of a lack of consistency for manufacturers.
The letter noted that UK businesses have already made “major contribution” to establishing the European database of chemicals, having registered 6,000 substances so far.
After Brexit, if Britain is not within REACH, both European and UK companies would have to re-register for the British database.
The terms of Brexit continue to remain ambiguous throughout all industries. However, the government is in a rush to establish the terms before Britain’s departure from the EU on March 29th 2019.